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Shootings a fresh scar on Wilkinsburg's face
Thursday, March 02, 2000 By Nate Guidry, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
It's another cut above the eye of Wilkinsburg, and residents and officials can only hope that time and healing will remove the scar.
Yesterday, according to police, 39-year-old Ronald Taylor set his Wilkinsburg apartment on fire, shot five people, then holed up in a nearby building before surrendering to police. Two people were killed and three critically injured.
"We're all in shock," said Wilkinsburg Mayor Wilbert Young, speaking after a news conference yesterday. "We've done things to curb the problems of the past, but how can anyone prepare for this?
"This is a national issue that has reached a small community. It hurts, but we're going to all have to pull together."
It's painful not only because of the families involved, but also because of what the borough has done to clean up crime in the community.
"I feel very numb." said Astrid Ware, president of Wilkinsburg council. "It's terrible, tragic, and I feel sorrow and sadness. It could have happened anywhere, but we have to support the families of the victims and begin the healing process."
For years, Wilkinsburg had an image of lawlessness and corruption. In 1992, the problems of drugs, drive-by shootings and other gang-related activity prompted the borough to call in the county's mounted police officers for patrols and led residents to hold weekly marches against drugs.
For several years, the borough increased the size of its police force and began community policing. The efforts were so successful that in 1996, the borough's community policing program won the top award from the National League of Cities for communities its size.
In 1998, serious crime in the borough declined for the fourth consecutive year. The state police Uniform Crime Report said there were 999 serious crimes in the borough that year, compared with more than 1,600 in 1993.
"Our streets have been safe," said Gerald Brewer, Wilkinsburg police chief. "It's a tragic and unusual situation. But we have to continue to try and improve the quality of life of the residents of this borough."
Residents and business owners in the community must deal with the aftermath -- even as many question how this could have happened.
"For me, this was a flashback to the 1960s with all of the civil unrest. I know this was an isolated event, but I don't think I'll ever go into a Burger King or McDonald's again," said resident Patricia Copeland, who was having her hair styled at Craig and Elaine Salon along Wood Street.
At the Asian Center along Penn Avenue, owner Louis Ou said he heard about the shooting from family members in Oakland.
"This situation will have a negative effect on the area," he said. "People are afraid to come to Wilkinsburg, and this will not make it better. But I've been here since 1981 and I've never had a problem. This could have happened anywhere."
The Rev. Janet Hellner-Burris of the Christian Church of Wilkinsburg said the incident was "not about Wilkinsburg."
"This is about one deeply troubled individual. It breaks my heart to think that the whole image of Wilkinsburg as a violent place will be back in the media again," she said.
"This has wounded not only the people who were there, but the whole community. None of us will feel quite the same after this. We feel very strongly that it is time to pray to pull the community together. God is the only one who can heal these wounds."
Staff writer Ann Rodgers-Melnick contributed to this report.
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